Work of Art: The Heart's Prayer by Chelsea Rushton

Calgary and its surrounding area is full of creative people and beautiful pieces of art. Here is just one piece you should know about.

Curated by Katherine Ylitalo

May 12, 2017

photograph courtesy of chelsea rushton

The Heart’s Prayer for order from chaos and action from order, 2016, Chelsea Rushton, Gouache and graphite on Arches watercolour paper, 12 inches x 16 inches. Located at the Lightbox Studio, Arts Commons (beside the Martha Cohen
Theatre).

The artwork

Chelsea Rushton’s delicate painting reveals a narrative that reads from left to right. A dark energy, perhaps grief, loss, confusion, pierces a rosy heart infused with a fine network of gold veins. It emerges as an emotional bubble, a void teeming with gold and iridescent purple particles that reach a tiny half moon and then find their way into the light.

Rushton gains inspiration for her images through meditation. She draws and paints with a light touch while the vision is fresh. Using graphite and gouache, she achieves intense hues and a range of effects from opacity to transparency that echo her understanding of movement between the everyday and the inner world.

This image is a precursor to Rushton’s project in the Lightbox Studio in Arts Commons called Sankalpa Centre for Dreams and Visions. There, she has created an atmospheric exhibition of paper lanterns in a show and open studio that runs until May 28, 2017.

The artist

Rushton is a recent MFA graduate of the University of Calgary who holds an undergraduate degree in creative writing from the University of Victoria. The Lightbox program is an excellent opportunity to learn more about her process, as she will offer workshops to help participants use meditation and rest to generate new ideas. The Lightbox Studio promotes studio-based works and gives audiences a literal window into the work or participating artists.

This article appears in the May 2017 issue of Avenue Calgary. Subscribe here.